There has been a huge reaction to Learner Tien being left off the shortlist for the ATP Breakthrough of the Year award.
Tien began his season as the world number 120, but after winning his first ATP title in Metz has finished the year inside the top 30.
The American teenager first made a big impact in January, with Tien beating Daniil Medvedev to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Tien also reached the final of the China Open, where he was beaten by Jannik Sinner, but was not shortlisted for the ATP Breakthrough of the Year award.
Steve Johnson reacts to Learner Tien being snubbed from ATP Breakthrough of the Year award
Despite his impressive rise up the ranks this year, Tien is not on the four-player shortlist for the ATP Breakthrough of the Year award that includes Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot, Jack Draper, Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca.
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Former top 30 player Steve Johnson has previously had high praise for Tien, and he has now continued the big reaction to him being left off the shortlist.
When speaking on the Nothing Major podcast, Johnson claimed the decision was ‘insane’, before claiming that Tien should not only have been shortlisted, but also won the award.
Johnson then added that he would have removed Draper to make way for Tien, claiming that the Briton’s breakthrough had already happened prior to this year.
“I do not have the answer to that. That’s insane,” said Johnson. “I think he was 128 or 119 to start the year and he is going to finish the year inside the top 30 and seeded for Australia. That’s insane. This goes back to previous points we have made where he just does not get the fanfare, as the other guys do.
“He is just quiet, he goes about his business and he just does what he is supposed to do. He does not have the hype around him like Mensik and Fonseca, but I don’t think Learner is going to lose any sleep over this. But he absolutely deserved to be on this list. I think rightfully he should have won this, quite frankly. To do what he did is really, really impressive.”
Johnson added, “I would take out Draper. He was already top 15 and had made the semis of a slam, he had already broken through in my view.”
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Previous winners of the ATP award for Most Improved Player
This is actually the first year that the ATP has held an award for the Breakthrough of the Year, but it is very similar to the category previously named the Most Improved Player.
Some of the recent winners of this award include both Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner, who are now the top two ranked players on the ATP Tour.
However, not all of the winners are now in a good position, with 2024’s Most Improved Player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard now outside the top 50 after struggling to back up his breakthrough year in 2025.
| Year | ATP Most Improved Player | Current Singles Ranking |
| 2015 | Hyeon Chung | No.371 |
| 2016 | Lucas Pouille | No.553 |
| 2017 | Denis Shapovalov | No.23 |
| 2018 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | No.34 |
| 2019 | Matteo Berrettini | No.56 |
| 2020 | Andrey Rublev | No.16 |
| 2021 | Aslan Karatsev | No.378 |
| 2022 | Carlos Alcaraz | No.1 |
| 2023 | Jannik Sinner | No.2 |
| 2024 | Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard | No.59 |
There are also three players who are ranked outside the top 350 in the ATP rankings who have been named the Most Improved Player in the past 10 years.
The winners of the 2025 ATP Awards will be announced in the week commencing December 8.
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